Self-closing door or shutter.



H. T. MOODY:

SELF OLOSINGDOOB. 0R SHUTTER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 23,1910.

981,460. Patentd Jan. 10,1911.

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H. T. MOODY. v SELF OLOSING'DOOR 0R SHUTTER. APPL IOATION FILED JULY 23, 1910.

THE NORRIS PETERS co., WAsHINGTON, n. c

Patented J an. 10, 1911.

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HENRY T. MOODY, OF NEWBUBYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 VICTOR MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS, A COPARTNERSHIP.

SELF-CLOSING 13003 OR SHUTTER.

Application filed July 23, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY T. MooDY, of Newburyport, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Self-Closing Doors or Shutters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in explaining its nature.

My invention relates to that type of selfclosing door or shutter which is held open or partly open by means of a cord connecting with the door and bearing a weight on the end thereof, the cord rendering over a pulley.

The essential object of my invention is to provide an improved means for retaining the pulley by which the cord passing over it may be automatically cast off or released therefrom permitting the door or shutter to close in case of fire.

My invention can best be seen and understood by reference to the drawings in which Figure 1 shows in side elevation a selfclosing fire door and means embodying my invention applied to it, the means being shown in operative position with respect to the door. Fig. 2 likewise shows a side elevation but with the means applied to the door in an inoperative position with respect thereto, the cord normally connecting with the door being released therefrom. Fig. 3 shows in rear end elevation the improved means for retaining the pulley over which the weighted cord connecting with the door passes, the parts supporting and controlling the pulley being retained in a manner whereby the pulley will be maintained in an operative position withrespect to the cord normally passing over it. Fig.4 is a plan of the construction shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is also a plan of the same construction but with the parts supporting and retaining the pulley released and the pulley assuming an inoperative position with respect to the cord normally passing over it.

Referring to the drawings :1 represents a wall or partition having in it a doorway or opening 2. 3 is a door arranged to slide laterally over the doorway or opening 2 for closing it and with respect to which the door is mounted to assume a normally closed po- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

Serial No. 573,417.

sition. For this purpose the door by means of the hangers 4E and rolls or wheels 5 is arranged to run upon an inclined track 6 secured to the wall or partition at a point above the door. The door is held open or partly open by means of a cord 7 connecting with the door and assing upwardly over a pulley 8 from which point the cord hangs and bears on its end a weight 9.

The forward end of the cord 7 is connected to the door in the following manner: Pivoted to the door at a point adjacent the forward edge thereof is an arm 10 which projects beyond the forward edge of the door so that the end of the arm will lie in the doorway or opening 2 when the door is open. This arm has a cleft or slotted end 11 and the cord 7 connects with the arm by a hook or ring 12 which is loosely caught over the cleft end of the arm. The tension of the weighted cord will act to draw up the arm and its position is defined by a stop 13 secured to the door and against which the arm is drawn when the parts are in operative position. Located in the cord at a point preferably near the opening or doorway 2 is a fusible link 14 so that in case of fire in the immediate vicinity of the door or doorway the fusing of the link will release the cord which effects also a release of the door to automatically close.

The construction above described forms no part of my present invention, but is referred to in order to make clear the con struction and operation of the parts now to be described and which pertain essentially to the support and control of the pulley 8 over which the cord 7 passes. As may be noted by reference to Figs. 3, 4. and 5, the pulley is carried by a member 15, the same comprising preferably an angular lever to one arm 16 of which the pulley is secured by a pin 17 on which the pulley turns. 18 represents the other arm of the lever. The lever is pivotally mounted to turn upon a fixture 19, being secured thereto by a pin 20 around which the lever fulcrums or turns and at a point laterally offset from the cord 7 when in an operative position passing over the pulley. The fixture 19 comprises a casting having secured thereto two dependent flanges 21 by which the fixture is made to straddle the inclined trackway 6 at the rear end thereof and which is secured to the trackway by a binding screw 22 which passes through one of the flanges 21 of the fixture and binds against the side of the trackway. The disposition and arrange ment of the parts and especially the pivotal arrangement of the lever 15 hearing the pulley is such that the lever may be turned to a position where the pulley carried by it will assume a substantially operative position as shown in Fig. 4 in line with the cord 7, or by the turning of the lever the position of the pulley will become changed when it will assume an inoperative or angular position with respect to the cord substantially as shown in Fig. 5. In practice I prefer as shown that the lever and pulley carried by it should turn in substantially a horizontal plane and this by effecting a substantially vertical disposition of the pin 20 secured to the fixture 19 and around which the lever turns. The turned position of the lever when the pulley is held in an operative position substantially in line with the cord 7 is properly its set position and for defining this position there is secured to the fixture 19 a stop 23'against which the arm 18 of the lever 15 is adapted to bear. The arm 18 of the lever is held against this stop and the pulley retained in its operative position as aforesaid by means of a secondary lever 24 which is pivoted to the outer flange 21 of the fixture 19 at the point 25, the extension of the arm 18 of the lever 15 being such that the lever 2 1 may be held to engage or bear against the arm 18 of the lever 15 and hold this arm against the stop.

For holding the lever 24 against the arm 18 of the lever 15 there is secured to it a cord 26 which may run to any part of the building in which the door is located or elsewhere. In the cord 26 at any point where fire is likely to occur is set a fusible link 27.

The operation of the parts is as follows When the connecting cord 26 becomes broken, as by the fusing of the link 27 therein, the retaining influence of the lever 24 in its cooperation with the lever 15 hearing the pulley will cease. Thereupon the bearing stress of the weighted cord 7 against the pulley 8 will cause the lever 15 to turn whereupon the pulley will assume an inoperative position with respect to the cord, or, in other words, an angular position with respect thereto as shown in Fig. 5, (the relative position of the cord being there shown in dotted lines). When the pulley has become turned to an angular position with respect to the cord, the cord will then become released from or cast out of the pulley and thereupon will fall together with the weight carried by it permitting the door to close. Moreover the moment the cord and weight released from the pulley fall the stress of the cord where it connects with the door will be removed from the arm 10 to which the inner end of the cord is secured whereupon this arm will drop away from the stop 18 and as it drops the ring or hook 12 on the end of the cord, which catches over the end of the arm will become released therefrom when the cord will become entirely freed from the door and the danger of the cord accidentally preventing a full closure of the door eliminated.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat-v ent of the United States 1. The combination with a self-closing door or shutter, of a weight, a cord connecting with the door or shutter and with said weight, a pulley over which the cord passes, means for pivotally supporting said pulley from a point laterally removed from the line of said cord whereby said pulley may occupy an operative position in alinement with said cord or be turned by the bearing stress of said weighted cord against said pulley to occupy an inoperative position transverse said cord, and means whereby said pulley may releasably be maintained to occupy its operative position as aforesaid.

2. The combination with a self-closing door or shutter, of a weight, a cord connecting with the door or shutter and with said weight, a pulley over which the cord passes, means for pivotally supporting said pulley from a point laterally removed from the line of said cord whereby said pulley may occupy an operative set position in alinement with said cord or be turned by the bearing stress of said weighted cord against said pulley to occupy an inoperative position transverse said cord, means for defining the operative set position of said pulley, and means for releasably maintaining said pulley in its operative set position as aforesaid.

3. The combination with a self-closing door or shutter, of a weight, a cord connecting with the door or shutter and with said weight, a pulley over which the cord passes, a lever bearing said pulley and to one arm of which lever said pulley is secured, means for pivotally supporting said lever at a point of turning laterally removed from the line of said cord whereby said pulley may be held thereby to occupy an operative position in alinement with said cord or be turned by the bearing stress of said weighted cord against said pulley to occupy an inoperative position transverse said cord, and means for releasably maintaining said lever whereby it may maintain said pulley to occupy its operative position as aforesaid.

4. The combination with a self-closing door or shutter, of a weight, a cord connecting with the door or shutter and with said weight, a pulley over which the cord passes, a lever bearing said pulley and to one arm of which lever said pulley is secured, means for pivotally supporting said lever at a point of turning laterally removed from the line of said cord whereby the lever may be turned to occupy a set position and the pulley carried by it an operative position in alinement with said cord or said lever be turned by the bearing stress of said weighted cord against said pulley and the pulley be turned by the turning of said lever to assume an inoperative position transverse said cord, means for defining the set position of said lever and operative position of said pulley, and means whereby said lever may be releasably maintained to occupy its set position as aforesaid.

5. The combination with a self-closing door or shutter of a weight, a cord connect ing with the door or shutter and with said Weight, a pulley over which the cord passes, a lever bearing said pulley and to one arm of which lever said pulley is secured, means for pivotally supporting said lever at a point of turning laterally removed from the line of said cord whereby the lever may be turned to occupy a set position and the pulley carried by it an operative position in alinement with said cord or said lever be turned by the bearing stress or said weighted cord against said pulley and the pulley be turned by the turning of said lever to assume an inoperative position transverse said cord, a stop against which said lever is adapted to bear for defining the set position thereof as aforesaid, a secondary lever adapted to bear against said lever for holding the same against said stop, and a cord having therein a fusible link connecting with said secondary lever for retaining said secondary lever.

HENRY T. MOODY.

Witnesses CHARLES E. HoUen'roN, SAMUEL F. BECKMAN. 

